Sayon Syprasoeuth (born 1967)
Fight, Flight, Fight, 2007
Oil and gold leaf on canvas on panel
36 ½ x 60 ½ in. (92.7 x 153.7 cm)
Courtesy of the artist, Fountain Valley, California

Sayon Syprasoeuth paints to recollect his youth, and to explore ideas of justice, freedom, and spirituality, especially as they relate to his life. He also makes sculptures that hang from the ceiling or wall. Both types of work reflect upon and grapple with earlier times and places. In them, he tries to capture a fleeting beauty that he rushed through while moving from one place to the other. In his youth Syprasoeuth was surrounded by lush coconut trees and fields of wild flowers and vegetation at his family farm in Cambodia. It was a beautiful place, but they had to abandon it when fleeing the Khmer Rouge. They traveled through Thailand, to Hong Kong and the Philippines, finally settling in the small farm town of Elkader, Iowa.

Syprasoeuth lives and works in Los Angeles, California. His work includes drawing, painting, and installation. He works from intuition, pop culture, and everyday happenings that are informative and thought provoking. Syprasoeuth studied in the United States and received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the Claremont Graduate University, California, in May 2007. For more information, please visit: www.sayonart.com.